Jean-Gabriel-Taurin Dufresse

Catholic missionary bishop and martyr in China.

Born in Lezoux, France, Dufresse entered the Paris Foreign Mission Society in 1774 and was sent to China in 1775. In 1785 he was deported by the hostile Chinese government, but returned secretly in 1789. In 1800 he became a bishop and was appointed apostolic vicar of Szechwan, and in 1803, at a time of relative peace, he presided over the first synod in China, a synod which would have great importance for the future development of the Chinese church. A decree in 1811 condemned to death all leaders of European religions, and in 1815 Dufresse’s identity was discovered. At the order of the emperor, he was beheaded (along with another bishop and nine priests). In 1900, in the company of a number of Chinese martyrs, Dufresse was beatified by Pius X. Their feast is celebrated on November 27.